Stress Relief
by jsreed5
Summary: An awkward situation helps two rival mercenaries see past their differences.


Draxel ran a polishing cloth along the serrated blade of a meter-long vibro-sword and held the razor-sharp weapon up to the light to check the edge. The human was a master of bludgeoning and stabbing weapons, and a heavy, close-range item like a sword fitted his style perfectly.

He was only one of many types of assassin that had been brought aboard Cohl's flagship, the _Hawk-Bat_, for this assignment. Across the table from Draxel, a Bith by the name of Kinsha spent his time meticulously cleaning a battered magazine that, Draxel assumed, was to be paired with a military-grade tao-muon assault rifle that lay next to it.

The human watched Kinsha's work out of the corner of his eye with some interest. The two pirates had had a long and contorted history together, and under normal circumstances would have consider each other enemies. But the first rule of any crew of Captain Cohl's was that all vendettas were off until the mission was over, and many an old rivalry had been forgiven and forgotten under his watch.

One thing was for sure: Kinsha had not forgotten this feud. Though the two had temporarily set aside their differences for the sake of this operation, they were by no means on friendly terms, and a sullen silence lingered throughout the room. Of course, it didn't help that the start of the attack was only hours away, and most of the rest of the crew had already gone to bed for what might be their last time. Draxel personally never slept the night before a mission; he felt that the time spent concentrating on the operation at hand boosted his focus and drive. He sensed now that Kinsha was only staying up because he didn't trust Draxel in the slightest.

Finally feeling that the vibro-sword had been sharpened to his liking, Draxel pulled the weapon off of the table and stood up in order to sheath it. In his peripheral vision, he saw Kinsha's gaze follow him suspiciously. Just as he lifted the blade to its full height, however, a strange noise caught him off guard.

Rooted to the spot, his sword still fully raised, Draxel listened for the noise again. At the table, Kinsha lowered his head and continued to work as if nothing had happened. In a few seconds, though, the human heard the noise a second time. Identifying the sound as coming from the wall, Draxel stepped closer to the steel panel to his left, holding his ear close.

He soon realized that the sound he was hearing was actually a soft moan, emanating quietly from the other room. Draxel leaned back, confusion clouding his features. "The hell?"

Kinsha shot him an impatient look. "Have y' never served w'th Cohl b'fore?"

Draxel's head spun around. Kinsha was actually talking to him? "No, why?"

Kinsha sneered. "I'm not s'prised. Anyway, 's Cohl. 'E's always screwin' 'is girl right b'fore a huge job, 'n case one 'r both of 'em dies, y' know?" The Bith looked back down at his magazine and continued to clean it. "Y' think som'ne o' _your_ caliber w'd know that…"

Draxel ignored the jibe. "You're serious? They're actually fucking each other right now?"

Kinsha gave the human a cold smile. "Go 'n there an' look f'r y'self 'f y' don't b'lieve me, b't I w'dn't rec'mend 't."

"Why not?"

"Cohl goes batshit crazy anytime 'e thinks 'is girl's 'n danger. Last time I w's on 'is crew, some idiot barged right 'n th' room while they were messin' around. Cohl didn't ev'n wait t' see wh't 'e wanted; j'st shot 'im, right there 'n' then, on th' spot. I ev'n 'eard 'e wiped out a whole crew once 'cause they were plannin' on killin' 'im an' rapin' 'er." Kinsha looked around quickly before continuing in a whisper. "'S what 'e claims, anyway. I bet 'e j'st didn't like 'is pick o' th' lot, y' know? I mean, 's Rella, f'r god's sake. She c'n fend f'r 'erself, 'f she really wanted."

Draxel remained silent momentarily, considering the anecdote his old foe had just shared with him. "Rella…" he muttered aloud, recalling the shapeliness of his commander's girlfriend and right-hand woman. "She is a beautiful girl."

Kinsha waved the empty magazine at Draxel in warning. "If y' wanna live t' set foot 'n th' _Revenue _t'morr'w, y' w'dn't _dare_ mess w'th 'em. I w'dn't go 'n there 'f their bed w's made outta sol'd credits."

At this point, Rella's rhythmic moaning had increased in volume significantly, and was now accompanied by a dampened thumping. Draxel stared at the wall, his cheeks slipping into a reddish hue as his mind began to imagine what was happening on the other side.

Kinsha saw the expression and let out a short laugh. "Don't let 't get t' ya, man. 'S a good way t' r'lieve th' stress, y' know? Not t' mention 'f I 'ad a girl, I'd b' fuckin' 'er ev'ry night I could too, as 'm sure _you_ would."

The comment had a personal sting to it. Early on in his mercenary career, Draxel had spent much of his time searching for a soulmate, but every woman he had ever found had either been appalled at his line work or had been too hardened by its effects to feel such soft emotions. Eventually Draxel had given up the search, but throughout his life he had always remained hopeful.

And here he was now, getting ready to raid one of the strongest types of freighter ships in the entire galaxy, in an operation where he and the entire pirate crew could easily be killed, and his captain was spending his last few hours having sex with the first mate. Draxel's spirits fell. It was a great honor to serve with Captain Cohl, but what if he died on this assignment? His last moments would be an insult to him, a mockery to his very face of the fact that Cohl had had more luck with women than Draxel had ever had.

The human's visage hardened and his grip on his now-sheathed vibro-sword tightened. He just had to make sure that he didn't die during the mission, then.


End file.
